OLIVER SIM / THE XX

It’s 10pm in London when we chat to one third of The XX, Oliver Sim, whose voice makes us melt like paddlepops in the heat of summer.

Hi Oliver, how are you?Not too bad thanks, how are you?

Really well. So where are you at the moment?I am in my flat, at home in London which is an absolute luxury.

What did you get up to today?While I’m home right now I’m just doing the most mundane stuff. I bought my first flat last year and I’ve only spent, you know, about a month in it since the beginning of last year so I’m just trying to make a home and trying to write and see my friends and family while I have the chance.

Have you managed to unpack everything?I have three more boxes! The home stretch.

When was the first time you sang in front of someone?I sang in front of Romy, I guess I was about 15 and it was a big deal. I was so nervous and terrified. We weren’t even singing alone, it was a compromise because neither of us wanted to sing in front of the other so we agreed to sing at the same time, and from doing that I got the confidence to sing alone.

Do you remember the first song you sang together?I don’t know, we were covering Pixies songs and then pop like Sugarbabes, so it was somewhere in between those two songs I guess.

You guys are a vocal guy/girl duo, who is your favourite vocal duo?Marvin Gaye’s collaborations with Tammi Terrell are amazing.

What kind of kids were you and Romy?We weren’t like unpopular, but we weren’t really popular, we just sort of kept to ourselves. I’ve never had a tonne of friends, but the ones I did have I was very close with. We always knew where one another was. And I’ve got the coolest parents ever, so I know I was personally very happy hanging out with my parents quite a lot as well.

What are your parents like?They’re music lovers, they’ve never tried it themselves, but they are actual music lovers. There’s always been good music playing in my house. My mum and dad have different tastes, but they really loved Talking Heads, especially The Cure and bands like The Durutti Column and Everything But The Girl, music that I now consider my favourite bands.

What was your first day job?I was working in a sports café in a tennis club, and I was making coffee for pretty fat, older rich women who would come and play like ten minutes tennis and then drink about six coffees and it was the most boring thing. It just wasn’t very busy, so the days just seemed very long. I’m very grateful to be here doing something I love for a job.

You guys wear black a lot – was this a group decision or it just happens?My teenage years were kind of a descent, my wardrobe got a lot darker. I don’t think I was trying to Matrix it up or be a bit goth and make a statement about what was going on inside. There are lots of people in my family that wear black and I’ve always thought it’s quite chic, as opposed to ‘I wear black because my soul I dark.’ (laughs) I just think it’s chic and smart.

Do you wear really colourful underwear to compensate?No, but I’m not going to lie, I’m wearing a bright red hoodie right now. Only in the comfort and privacy of my home.

The music is quite beautiful and serious, what part of your life do you let out the lighter side of things?Yeah! Every day. We don’t walk off stage and cry, we just have a good time. And we’ve actually got so much to be happy about, we’re pretty smiley people. The recording studio is more serious, we talk quite a bit but it is pretty quiet in a nice way. The three of us are such good friends, and it gets to that point where awkward silences don’t exist.

What do you three do besides music?Go for drinks, just be in each others company. We’re part of the same social group. When we finished the first tour we’d been together for about two years and every day I’d see them more than anyone else, and I thought in my head ‘I might want some space and in the most loving way just not see them for a bit’, but after four days of being back home I was ringing them up asking what they were up to and if they wanted to hang out. I’ve known Romy since I was three years old and we’ve spent pretty much every day together since, and been friends with Jamie since I was 11, so we’re used to being with each other all the time.

Can you sleep on aeroplanes?I struggle with sleep in general to be honest. And going on an aeroplane is the most exciting thing, but when you have to do it five or six times a week you begin to hate it. So I don’t sleep very well, but I try. I’m quite a tall person so unless I have a bed it can be pretty hard. I’m trying to read at the moment.

What are you reading now?
I’m reading Tracey Thorn’s biography, which is really good, I’ve just started it.

What’s your favourite thing you’ve bought while travelling?I’ve got a lot of nice records and to be honest I don’t play them very much, my vinyl player is wrapped up at the moment. I like looking at them, and all my music is on my computer or hard drive so it’s nice to have something physical. So I have a lot of Sade records on my mantelpiece right now.

Have you started working on a third album?We’ve started writing. We’ve been trying to write on tour because we’ve never been able to do it, but it’s going well. We have bare skeletons of songs, like the barest of bare.

Can you give us any clues what it’ll sound like?I think it’s too early to tell to be honest. I think the second record came out, we weren’t trying to sound like us but we weren’t trying to do anything drastically different. The third time round will be a case of maybe considering a bit more and I suppose pushing ourselves a bit more out of our comfort zones.

You’re touring Australia very soon, what have you got planned?That’s what we’re working on at the moment, we’re in rehearsal. We’re playing this set every day on these tours so we like to change it up just to keep it exciting for ourselves. So we’ve changed up the set from the last tour we did in America and right now we’re just trying to figure it all out.

Will there be back-up dancers?
God that would be awesome. Maybe not this tour, maybe for the reunion tour.

Have you managed to do much recreationally in Australia?The first time we went was Laneway and we were just constantly moving so we didn’t get an opportunity to get out there. I didn’t even go on a single beach, which was a bit of a disappointment. Then last time was such a short visit, I actually got to a beach but it was winter. So this time round it’s going to be a bit more relaxed so hopefully we’ll get an opportunity to see a bit more of the cities.

Are there any Aussie artists you really like?I’ve only just been introduced to Chet Faker and I really like it. It’s kind of in the same vein I suppose as James Blake. And I saw his cover of ‘No Diggity’ and I found that really, really great.

He works a lot with Flume too.Flume supported us on our last Australian tour, he’s an impressive guy and so young. Stuff has been going so well for him this year.

Who’s someone you’ve toured with or met on the road that has really surprised you?On this tour we just did we were touring with Austra, a Canadian band, and I’m such a big fan. And, like what people may think about us, I thought they might be a bit scary, I think it was because I like the music so much I was scared I was going to be a bit star struck. But they were the most warm, warm people and it was a really incredible tour.

Jamie adopted a new last name, xx, do you and Romy ever think of getting a new tail?Well, I think Jamie Smith is maybe the most common name in the world but I don’t know many Sims or many Madley Crofts, so I think we’re alright.

I’ve heard you like TV shows. Who are your favourite characters?Yes! I used to watch a lot of Breaking Bad, but he gets worse and worse. Every series, he gets more of a monster so I don’t know if I like him but I like the show. If not then Arrested Development.

Are you excited about the movie?
Very excited! Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development is I think the funniest character ever made.

What’s your standard drink?I’m just a beer drinker, I love beer, but if we’re getting fancy I like my rum. Oh, I like White Russian.